1. Field
The present invention relates to dental syringes, and more particularly to dental syringes that may be easily disconnected from tubing supplying utilities to the syringe so that contaminated portions of the syringe may be sterilized.
2. State of the Art
Dental syringes are widely used by dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and the like. They are hand-held instruments which deliver water and air under pressure into a patient's mouth for washing and drying purposes. Commonly, air is supplied to the dental syringe and into the patient's mouth at about 80 psi, and water is supplied at about 40 psi. One such dental syringe is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,698,088. This patent discloses a syringe having a head, which is coupled to utility supply hoses, and an elongate tip, which is coupled to the head and is inserted into the patient's mouth. Valves in the head are selectively hand operated to discharge water or air through the distal end of the tip.
Cross-contamination of one patient by another is one of the principle problems encountered with the use of dental syringes. Bacteria and viruses can be communicated from patient to patient unless the components of the syringe are adequately sanitized. U.S. Pat. No. 4,248,589 discloses a dental syringe assembly which has a quickly and easily removed syringe tip. The '589 patent discloses that the syringe tip can be readily removed from the head and autoclaved after each patient treatment. It is also noted that with the quick disconnect tip arrangement of the patent, worn tips or tips of different configurations can quickly and easily be replaced or substituted for use with the head.
Sterilized syringe tips, while proving safer and better received than tips which have not been sterilized are still inadequate for current conditions.
The widespread occurrence of the HIV virus has come to be recognized by the public generally. The recognition that the HIV virus, as well as other bacteria and viruses, may be transmitted during dental procedures has incentivized the dental profession and dental patients to demand further improvements in the general cleanliness and sanitation levels maintained in dental operatories. It is thus of increasing importance that the equipment used by dentists be constructed so that contaminated surfaces may be quickly and easily sanitized. A presently preferred and effective method of sanitization of such equipment is autoclaving. Autoclaving and other sterilization procedures must typically be effected in special equipment remote from the utility supply lines.
While others have proposed the use of dental equipment having quick disconnect couplings so that the equipment, i.e. dental handpieces and dental syringes, can be quickly and easily disconnected and transported to be autoclaved, the structures proposed have not allowed full autoclave treatment to the entire dental syringe, handpiece, or other item of dental equipment. Generally, the presently available such equipment requires that a large segment of a handle component remain always in attachment with the utility supply conduits (hoses or tubing). The reason for this design constraint is that means must be provided for isolating the utilities when an equipment item is removed to be autoclaved. It has been considered necessary for the component attached to the supply conduits to include control valves as necessary to shut off utility flow through the tubing. As a practical consequence, portions of the exterior surfaces of necessary dental operatory equipment cannot be autoclaved or otherwise sterilized. These surfaces are subject to contamination, and continue to present a hazard to dental patients and practitioners.
There remains a need for a dental syringe assembly constructed so that its entire external surface, including its entire handle, can be easily and quickly disconnected from its utility connections without releasing any appreciable amount of utility into the ambient region. Such an arrangement would permit the remote sterilization, notably autoclaving, of the entire external surface of the syringe.